“It’s Because of COVID.” The Second Best Thing I put in my Mouth, Racism, and Superstition

“What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.”
— Christopher Hitchens 

Well, hey there, how are you this lovely morning.  It’s Thursday, we have one more day of work, and then it’s time to relax.  So let’s bust our ass and make these two days count so we can enjoy the relaxation!  I had planned to take my lady to see Theo Vaughn in Colombus, Ohio, on Saturday, but our family and friends want to hang out, so we will stay here and gather with our people.  I love you, Theo, but family first.

So how are you?  I’m serious; I think many times these words are about me, but how are you?  How are you feeling?  Are you in a good place, is your relationship with your significant other going well, or are you ready for a change?  It’s ok; not all relationships work out; there is love for all if you strive and find it.  I’m in love, and it’s a pretty amazing thing! Have I shared with you lately I’m in love with the world’s most beautiful woman?  It’s true, I am, and she is.

My pup is chewing on a toy sloth; it would be wrong if it were a real sloth; it’s got a noisemaker, she’s making a lot of racket.  My wife is sitting next to me; she just found some friends in Conifer, CO have a family member that died in Muncie, IN.  An inevitable small world comment has been shared.  There are two acoustic guitars to my right; one is a vinyl string, the other a metal string; I would love to tell you I can play, but I’m just a picker. I own no less than 20 guitars but can’t play one with any level of success.  It’s like a person that cannot cut hair with 20 pairs of scissors.

My daughter and I headed up to see our friends in Dunkirk.  We sat for two hours and chatted about all things timely.  We talked about how COVID had become the excuse for lazy people, how many could navigate the virus, and how it was an easy out for those who didn’t have any gumption.  I never shared this, but we had engaged a person to refinance our home; after eight months and three failed closings, we had to terminate our relationship; within 60 days, Chase closed our refinance, and we put an end to a 10-month saga of “it’s because of COVID.”

We left there and headed to get lunch at Chick Fil A, I love Chick Fil A, and it might be the second-best thing I put in my mouth.  We sat in the parking lot and ran a Zoom with our team and a good friend from Colorado who designed a tool that we are going to utilize with our clients; it’s a deep dive risk management tool, it’s nice to have intelligent friends.  We dined with the owner of the local franchise, he sat next to us to do some work, and we chatted.

I shared I had gone to Popeyes to try their chicken sandwich, and it was horrific, greasy, not spicy, shitty; I’ll never go back to Popeyes, I’ll only visit the Chick.  My kid and I had a good conversation before heading back to our Indy office.  We arrived, and my wife was there, as was 3 of our team; we are slowly returning to the office, you may work from home, but some like to get in and do life as we did before the event called COVID.

COVID has been a gift; I’m sorry folks died, I’m sad people lost their jobs, I’m sorry the government showed their true colors and proved they are inefficient to deal with an unusual set of events.  But the gifts, my God, the gifts were plentiful.  I saw a sign yesterday that said: “Mann Up.”  Reece, you are in my thoughts daily.

I’ve got one project to wrap up today; I’ll focus on that; once done, I will take it easy, spend time with my wife, walk the dog, enjoy lunch, read a book; today, I will enjoy life.  I’ve got a couple of books I’m reading; I think I can finish one and the other I’m just staring, but it’s a good tale of mystery and devilish behavior.  I enjoy reading; it’s a peaceful way to pass the time; my favorite place to read is in my courtyard in the valley or on my deck at the mountain house. 

Our friend Kurt came over last night; his wife was away, he joined us for dinner, we laughed and shared stories; Kurt is a successful business owner we met at a lake, and we became lifelong friends.  He’s a quirky man with a hell of a sense of humor. Finally, we got to bed at a reasonable time; as old folks, I think you know we are not up late, choosing to go to bed early and get up at a good time.

I got a note from a friend in CO that he had purchased my book.  I appreciate the buy, but if you know me and are a friend, let me get you a copy, I’ll sign it and send it to you.  I have a few friends I’ll mail a copy to once I get them; I’ll have a few copies here at the house to hand out as well.   As we walked the other day, I sessed out my next Ted Talk topic; I’m going with The Conversion of an Angry White Guy; details will be shared in February.

I dined at an excellent Italian restaurant the other night; one of the owners shared a story about her grandparents and said, “that was a time when it was not ok to be Italian.”  I sneered “it’s like being a white guy today.”  There has never been a worse time to be a white anglo Saxon, I know it was fashionable to be white in the past, but now, it’s a curse like being a Serb in a Croatian zone.  Or maybe a Croatian in a Serbian area; you get my point. It’s not a good time to be white.  I wish I were Asian, Black, or Latino; life would be easier.

“What is it you most dislike? Stupidity, especially in its nastiest forms of racism and superstition.”
— Christopher Hitchens